Israel-Hamas war cannot become another 9/11 moment, says anti-Islamophobia envoy

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s special representative for combating Islamophobia is warning against allowing the Israel-Hamas war to become a catalyst for the stereotyping of Muslim Canadians. 

Amira Elghawaby, who was appointed to the new role in January, released a statement on the impact the war is having on members of Canada’s Muslim communities. 

She says people are expressing fear about a “resurgence” in Islamophobia that “has troubling echoes of the past.”

She refers to the years following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when Muslims and Arabs “felt collectively blamed, stereotyped and racially profiled.”